Live data from Hacker News

Speed limiters now mandatory in all new EU cars

autoweek.com

121–130 of 401 posts

Re: Speed limiters now mandatory in all new EU cars

#121
post #93

Honestly, I think it makes more sense to start with limiting cars somewhere around 90-110MPH; IE, the fastest that anyone would ever drive on a public road. Where I live, speed limits are routinely set artificially low due to a cultural belief that rules are meant to be broken. IE, if the safest speed is 75MPH, then the speed limit is set to 55MPH because everyone will break the rule. If the limit was really 75MPH, t…

> Otherwise, these just smell like a scheme from an "enthusiastic rule follower" to try force unneeded rules when these rules don't need to exist.

Also, a lot of these "enthusiastic rule follower" lawmakers who push for these things are really only interested in making other people follow the rules. They will find a way to exempt themselves.

Re: Speed limiters now mandatory in all new EU cars

#122
post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would have to guess you can't speed up to pass another vehicle (think bus or truck, or maybe a dangerous situation) and then you will piss off anyone in the fast lane who does not have these limiters.

Cant speak to europe, but in the US you're not supposed to speed up past the speed limit to pass someone, that's illegal. We also don't have "fast lanes" (ie like how the autobahn has sections with no speed limit), we only have passing lanes, but the speed limit still applies in the passing lane. You're not supposed to stay in the left lane for very long

In most places in the US I doubt that's true re speeding. Speeding us usually defined as exceeding the posted limit for at least some set time and/or distance, to enable overtaking or other temporary need to go a bit faster without it being an offense.

Re: Speed limiters now mandatory in all new EU cars

#123

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No, OTHER people, not the driver. He's saying OTHER PEOPLE drive over the limit, and OTHER PEOPLE are NOT in your control, so "haveing no sympathy" is irrelevant here. You have no sympathy for me when i find myself driving amongst others who drive above the limit? Their speeds are not in my control. Only mine is. And if the limiter prevents me from going the same speeds as everyone around me, I will be constantly pas…

> You have no sympathy for me when i find myself driving amongst others who drive above the limit? I also often find myself driving among other people who speed. I stay to the right with the OTHER drivers who are following the law. I always drive the speed limit and it's never a problem for me. Many states' laws require this, anyway (faster traffic to the left, slower traffic to the right).

Yes, I stay to the right too unless passing or exiting to the left, etc, for the reasons you said and others too (the right lane has a shoulder next to it, increasing options in an emergency) Still gets you passed a lot if you're unnecessarily slow though. If the prevailing speed is a speed I feel unsafe going, then sure, I'll accept the passing.

But if the prevailing speed feels safe -- it might just be 5 MPH over the limit, or the limit might be unnecessarily low -- of course I will just go the prevailing speed, to maximize safety. What kind of a fool would do otherwise, just to satisfy an imaginary policeman in his head?

Re: Speed limiters now mandatory in all new EU cars

#124
post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is it though? When has government regulation ever decreased? Give them an inch...

Government regulations today, at least in the U.S. and the UK, are a fraction of what they used to be in the post WW 20th century. Government regulations have been getting weaker pretty much my entire living memory.

Except for the things that most affect common Americans. Like how most housing has onerous zoning and code requirements, banking has kyc/AML and reporting, OSHA controls our work conditions, kids families can be investigated for practicing age appropriate child independence, and family law now often essentially makes the higher earner a slave on a short leash to jail if their spouse divorces them.

I would take post WW by a long shot.

Re: Speed limiters now mandatory in all new EU cars

#125
post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What was annoying about it?

My experience of learning to drive in Europe is that there are roads where the speed limit is 90kph but any non-local sane person will drive 60kph (most mountain roads) and there are roads where the limit is 130kph but regular traffic flows at 140kph and many people cruise (safely) at 150kph. The people actually doing 130kph on the left lane (trucks go 90 on the right) can be a safety hazard. And like others have sai…

> the laws actually say "speed limit unless passing".

None that I'm aware of in Europe say this. Which country are you describing?

Re: Speed limiters now mandatory in all new EU cars

#126

This is one example of legislation that mandates fantasy tech that doesn't exist. You'd think that something as simple as speed limiter should be very easy to implement, and it couldn't be further from the truth - watch any review of a car with this tech and every reviewer will complain that it's not the presence of the system that's the problem, it's the fact that it constantly gets the speed limit wrong. Either rea…

Agreed that the general case is hard to solve. I think you could at least make a case for solving a simpler problem. What's the highest legal speed limit in the country in which the car was sold? Set a global speed limit to that.

[deleted]

Re: Speed limiters now mandatory in all new EU cars

#127
post #86
post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That will finally stop the Swiss from speeding in Germany

I mean no, because there's (as of July 2024) no speed limit on the Autobahn.

Plenty of parts of the autobahn have speedlimits, only a bit more than half of it does not have a temporarily or permanent speedlimits.

Re: Speed limiters now mandatory in all new EU cars

#128

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Literally everything causes death. The question is: will this prevent more deaths from speeding than it causes from mistaken slowdowns?

Is the category of "deaths from speeding" large enough to justify any action whatsoever? Are "deaths from speeding" typically single vehicle or multiple vehicle accidents? Why does the Autobahn still not have speed limits on large parts of the road and why does this not cause massive problems?

> Why does the Autobahn still not have speed limits on large parts of the road and why does this not cause massive problems?

That's a bit like asking "Why are guns freely available in the US and why does this not cause massive problems?"

Not having speed limits on the Autobahn does cause problems. Accident numbers are fine because of good road design and good driver education, but every study says that introducing a speed limit would make the situation even better. But people like their freedoms, and powerful lobbies are against the limit.

Re: Speed limiters now mandatory in all new EU cars

#129

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Agreed that the general case is hard to solve. I think you could at least make a case for solving a simpler problem. What's the highest legal speed limit in the country in which the car was sold? Set a global speed limit to that.

> What's the highest legal speed limit in the country in which the car was sold? Set a global speed limit to that. Bad move. Particularly because scenarios where lanes end somewhat unexpectedly are not uncommon (think construction). Further, legislation can change the highest legal speed limit at the drop of a hat. It's the "why are timezones so hard" problem times 10.

So the solution to a lane ending unexpectedly is to speed up? One would imagine that slowing down or even stopping would be the correct solution there.

Re: Speed limiters now mandatory in all new EU cars

#130

While it can be overridden, hopefully this saves many lives. We limit speeds on scooters and e bikes so cars are only fair

> hopefully this saves many lives.

That's very unlikely. More than half of roadway fatalities in the USA involve drugs or alcohol. You'd have much better luck putting a brethalyzer ignition interlock on all vehicles.

One minute of thinking should make it obvious how easily that would be defeated as well.

Post reply on HN